Method and apparatus for treating textile material with liquid



y 5, 1970 osAMuo FUJII T I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID 11 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 28, 196'? F/g/ .IL 6

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28. 1967 ll Sheets-Sheet 2 May 5, 1970 OSAMUO FUJll H 3,510,251

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28. 1967 ll Snee ts-bheu .3

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28, 1967 osAMuo [FUJI] ET L- 11 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 5, 1970 OSAMUO FUJll ET 3,

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH L IQU ID Filed July 28, 1967 ll Sheets-Sheet 5 4 8 m A I 8 ml. W 2 u m 3 n M- 3 W Mm 4 5 8 1 2 3 am 2 a? iwi 4 o 4 77 w w m fiwufi I F j 3 1 2 I2 M 3 3 May 5, 1970 7 OSAMUOEIFVLJJH ETAL. 3,510,251

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28. 1967 ll Sheets-Sheet 6 May 5, 1970 osAMub FUJ ll ETA; 3,510,251

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LI QU-I'D Filed July 2a. '1967 11 Sheets-Sheet 7 May 5, 1970 OSAMUO FUJI] ETA!- METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28. 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet. 8

May 5, 1970 OSAMUO FUJI! ETAL 3,510,251 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WIIH LIQUID Filed July 28, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 May 5, 1970 OSAMUO FUJI! ET 3,510,251

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28, 1967 11 Sheets-$heet 1 0 May 5, 1970 I OSAMUO .FUJII ETAL 3,510,251

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Filed July 28, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet 11 36 P 1d! ,,,7 j O l p O lZab 5 7O fBb 70"\ United States Patent 3,510,251 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH LIQUID Osamu Fujii, Toyonaka-shi, and Mitsuyasu Miyamoto, Amagasaki-shi, Japan, assignors to Hisaka Works, Ltd., Osaka, Japan, a Japanese company Filed July 28, 1967, Ser. No. 656,882 Claims priority, application Japan, July 30, 1966, 41/50,271; Apr. 22, 1967, 42/25,954, 42/25,955 Int. Cl. D06c 1/00 US. Cl. 8152 24 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved method and apparatus for treating textile materials with suitable liquids in a treating tank having a substantially U or J shaped passage, material circulating apparatus, liquid recycling apparatus which also provides a jet stream formed in a curtain around the material for assisting the movement of the material through the tank, material speed controlling apparatus, apparatus for bombarding the material with the liquid, and apparatus for controlling the level of the liquid in the tank.

The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for treating textile material with liquid, and is particularly concerned with a method and apparatus for treating textile material such as woven fabrics or knitted fabrics, in a liquid dye or in a Washing and scouring liquid.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for treating textile material that is conveyed through a liquid treating bath.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for treating textile materials in a liquid bath maintained at either high or normal pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for treating textile materials, conveyed through a liquid treating bath, under uniform and low tension.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for treating textile material conveyed through a liquid treating bath maintained at a uniform temperature.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for the liquid treatment of textile materials which are difficult to form into a rope condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for treating textile material resulting in textile materials having excellent handling qualities.

The invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope will be pointed out in the applied claims.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view tak n along line IIII in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an elevational view partially in an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention,

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view partially in section of a modification of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are elevational views partially in section of further embodiments of the apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views taken along line IIXIIX of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7.

3,5 10,25 1 Patented May 5, 1970 FIG. 10 is an elevational view partially in section of another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention,

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view, broken away, of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 10,

FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 are elevational views partially in section of further embodiments of the apparatus of the present invention,

FIG. 15 is an elevational view partially in section of still another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and

FIG. 16 is a view taken along line XVIXVI of FIG. 15.

A typical apparatus of the present invention comprises a bath or tank having U or I shaped passage, means for recycling a portion of the treating liquid contained in said tank from one end portion of the passage to the opposite end portion of the passage, a pumping means and a heating means disposed in the passage of said recycling means, a rotatable cylinder or roller disposed at an upper portion of the tank between the end portions of the passage, whereby the textile material is introduced into a starting end portion of the treating liquid by the rotating roller, carried forward by a liquid stream generated by the feeding motion of the recycling means and treated by the treating liquid while being carried into the fluid stream of the treating liquid, and then taken-up by the rotating roll. The initial length of the textile material in the liquid bath is so chosen that it is suflicient in length to be maintained in a loose condition so that the textile material can be treated by the treating liquid under almost no tension. Consequently, any disturbances which cause irregular application of the liquid treatment to the textile material can be minimized. Moreover, according to another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the temperature and liquid level of the treating liquid in the tank are maintained uniformly in such a condition that the top portion of the rotating roll is almost at the liquid level, consequently the wet treatment of the textile material can be operated under uniform conditions.

To obtain a satisfactory introduction of textile material into the liquid in the passage, means for providing a jet stream in the passage is provided in the apparatus of the present invention. Further means are provided for controlling the speed of the liquid stream and in addition to means for restricting the passing movement of the textile material in the passage to provide for the economical utilization of the aforementioned wet treatment or process for a wide range of textile materials.

The method and apparatus described hereinafter may be used to treat any type of textile materials in any form such as roped form or open width form of the textile maten'al.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a high-pressure dyeing apparatus according to the invention is shown. In the drawings, the dyeing apparatus comprises a cylindrical header 2 provided with a winch 4 secured to a horizontal shaft or driving shaft 5, a plurality of U-shaped dye baths 1 connected with the header 2 and means for recycling a portion of the treating liquid, comprising a discharging conduit '9 and a feeding conduit 8. The connected portion of the discharging conduit 9 with the U-sh-aped bath is set slightly lower than the connected portion of the feeding conduit 8 with the U-shaped bath, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the dye liquid in the bath 1 flows in a clockwise direction in the drawing. A heat exchanger 10 interconnects the conduit 9 with the conduit 8, and the heat exchanger 10 is provided with a pump. In operation of the apparatus, cooled liquid discharged from the bath by the discharging conduit 9 is heated by the heat exchanger 10 and the heated liquid is fed to the dye bath 1 through the feeding conduit 8. The horizontal shaft 5 is driven counterclockwise (in FIG. 2) by a driving motor 6 disposed above the header 2, through a belt driving system. A plurality of portholes 7 are formed in the header 2 such that each porthole is positioned adjacent an upper portion of its respective dye bath and serves as the inlet and outlet for the textile material. A collecting conduit 11 is connected to the bottom portion of each U-shaped dye bath and a manually operated valve 12 is disposed at one end of the collecting conduit 11 to discharge dye liquid from the baths 1 when the dyeing operation is completed. In FIG. 3, an embodiment of high-pressure dyeing apparatus according to the invention is shown. In the drawings, the dyeing apparatus comprises a substantially cylindrical header 14 provided with a cylindrical roller or winch 15 accured to a driven horizontal shaft 21 substantially U-shaped passage 13 fluidly connected with the header 14 as shown in the drawing and means for recycling a portion of the treating liquid comprising a liquid withdrawing conduit 17 and a liquid feeding conduit 18. A heat exchanger 19 is provided with a pump 20, whereby cooled liquid withdrawn from the bath by the withdrawing conduit 17 is heated by the heat exchanger 19 and the heated liquid is fed to the dye bath or tank 1 through the feeding conduit 18. A plurality of portholes 16 are formed in the header 14 in such a way that each porthole is positioned adjacent to an upper portion of the respective dye bath and the positions of the portholes serve as the inlet and outlet of the textile material.

As a typical operation according to the present invention, the following method, using the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, may be applied. The present method comprises the steps of providing a liquid zone containing the dye liquid in substantially U- or J-shaped passage such as passage 13; withdrawing a portion of the liquid from the upper end portion of the passage through the withdrawing conduit 17; recycling the withdrawn liquid to the opposite upper end portion of the passage 13 via the feeding conduit 18, the recycle pump 20, the control valve 21 and the heat exchanger 19 so as to form a dye liquid stream toward the withdrawing end portion of the passage, introducing textile material 22 supplied through the porthole 16 into the liquid zone containing the dye liquid, feeding the textile material 22 introduced into the liquid zone and joining the feeding end of the textile material 22 with the other end of the textile material before the latter is placed over the rotating winch 15, thereafter forming an endless band of material which is circulated or run through the passage 13 by the take-up motion of thewinch 15 and the carrying motion of the dye liquid in the passage 13. The carrying speed of the textile material 22 in the liquid dye of the passage 13 is less than that of the liquid stream, consequently, the treating action of the liquid on the textile material is sufficiently strong to obtain good treating.

The winch 15 is a rotating small roller which is almost completely immersed in the liquid contained in the tank 1, in other words, the top portion of the rotating roller 15 is almost at the level of the treating liquid. A withdrawing chamber 13 for the treating liquid is triangular in cross section and a bottom plate of the withdrawing chamber 13" is fluidly connected to one end of the withdrawing conduit 17, while the other end of the withdrawing condiut 17 is fluidly connected to the inlet of the pump Means for feeding recycled heated liquid into the tank 1 comprises a guide 23 angling downwardly from the inner wall of passage 13 inside the upper end portion of the passage 13 and a cylindrical channel member 24 having a hyperbolic cross section disposed immediately below the guide 23 with a narrow space 25 between the guide 23 and the member 24. One end of the feeding pipe 18 is connected with the space 25 directly and is connected at its other end with a heat exchanger 1.9 Which is connected with the discharging conduit 17 by way of a pump 20. Consequently, if the feeding pressure of the recycled liquid discharged through the conduit 18 is sufficiently high, the jet stream of liquid that passes down through the narrow space 25 forms a curtain of liquid surrounding and contacting the textile material. Therefore, as the textile material 22 carried to an upper portion 26 of the passage 13 by the rotating roller 15 into the portion 27 immediately below the cylindrical channel member 24, it is met by the downward action of the curtain-like jet stream of the recycled liquid pumped through the conduit 18. The pressure of the liquid supplied to the space 25 can be adjusted by a control valve 21 mounted on the feeding conduit 18. The width of the space between the walls of the passage 13 as seen in FIG. 3 increases gradually to the upper end portion 28 of the passage so as to decrease the speed of the liquid, consequently, at the upper end portion 28 the liquid moves very slowly. Moreover the surface speed of the roller 15 is so slow that the textile material 22 is carried in a zig-zag or bunched manner toward the upper end portion 28 as seen in FIG. 3, despite the strong liquid stream at the portion 27 immediately below the cylindrical channel member 24, consequently, the textile material is jostled by the strong liquid stream, and receives sufficient saturation by the treating liquid.

After the treating the textile material 22 which is pulled through the passage 13 along a Zig-zag path under low tension, the textile material is taken-up by the roller 15 in a spread or extended condition, as shown in FIG. 4, if the textile material is a woven or knitted fabric. The textile material 22, therefore, can be uniformly treated by the treating liquid within the passage 13, and the formation of wrinkles on the fabric, which prevents uniform action by the treating liquid, can be prevented.

As set forth in the introduction to this specification, the above-described apparatus can be used for dyeing textile materials in a treating liquid maintained at high pressure or normal pressure. When it is necessary to dye the textile materials, such as a synthetic fiber, at high pressure, any kind of conventional control means for maintaining the liquid pressure at a high level can be used. For example, a compressor can be used for supplying compressed air to the header 14 through a conduit 14', thereby, air contained in the header 14 can be maintained at the desired high pressure, consequently, the treating liquid in the bath passage 13 can also be maintained at desired high pressure.

Recently, the so-called high pressure dyeing method at high temperature has been applied successfully to dye yarns or cloths made of synthetic fiber. In the high pressure dyeing process using the circular dyeing method, the dyeing liquid is sometimes used with some auxiliary agent, such as a dispersing agent that is mixed in the liquid. However, the above-mentioned mixed liquid has a tendency to generate a large amount of foam at temperature of 60 C. C. The foam disturbs the uniform action of the dyeing liquid on the textile material in the bath. This also takes place in scouring or bleaching or other wet process. In the present invention, means for eliminating the foam generated during above-mentioned wet process is disclosed. FIG. 5 disclosing an embodiment of the apparatus in which such means is utilized. The apparatus shown in FIG. 5 has the same construction as that shown in FIG. 3 with the exception of the above-v positively to obtain uniform action by the treating liquid on the textile material. Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of suction means for withdrawing the treating liquid from the passage are applied to the apparatus of the invention. In the embodiment, the principal construction of the apparatus is almost the same as the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 with the exception of the uniform lateral space of the passage for passing treating liquid and a plurality of suction means 31, 35, and 39 around the passage. Suction means 31, 35, 39 are connected with the pump 20 through their own conduits 32, 32'; 36, 36'; and 40, 40', respectively. The suction means comprises a circular chamber ringing the outside wall of the U-shaped passage, and a wall between the chamber and the passage which is provided with a plurality of apertures, whereby the liquid is withdrawn from the passage and into the circular chamber through the apertures.

A plurality of control valves 33, 37, and 41 are installed in the respective conduits, 32, 32'; 36, 36'; and 40, 40'. A control valve 34 is also installed in the withdrawing conduit 17. Therefore, by choosing the condition of the control valves, 33, 34, 37, 41, the speed of the treating liquid passing through the passage 13 can be controlled, for example, if the control valves 33 and 34, and 37 are closed and the control valve 41 is opened so that the amount of liquid withdrawn by the suction means 39 from the passage 13 per unit time balances the amount of liquid fed by the feeding conduit 18 to the passage 13, by which the treating liquid positioned in the space between the suction means 39 and the portion 28 of the passage can be kept in a stationary condition.

In practice, the control valves 33, 34, 37 and 41 can be adjusted variably to obtain the preferred condition of the liquid stream in the passage. As is clearly shown in the drawing, the conduits 43 and 45, and the stop valve 44 disposed on the under side of the passage 13 are used for discharging the treating liquid from the tank when the operation is completed.

In FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, another embodiment of the apparatus set forth above for controlling the condition of the liquid stream in the passage 13 is shown. The principal construction of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7 is almost the same as the apparatus shown in FIG. 6, with the exception that the withdrawing conduit 17 is connected with another pump '84 which recycles the withdrawn liquid to a feeding means 80 disposed above the guide 23 through a conduit 81, a control 'valve 82 and a conduit 83, the directions of the liquid streams being shown by the appropriate arrows.

The feeding means 80 comprises a circular chamber ringing the outside wall of the U-shaped passage, and a. wall between the ringed chamber and the passage is provided with a series of apertures, thereby the liquid is directed through the apertures, thereby to surround and contact the textile material 22 pulled through the passage, for the purpose of bombarding the textile material with the liquid. When the textile material 22 is in the rope-form, the circular cross-sectional feeding chamber 80 is used as the feeding means, as shown in FIG. 8, but when the textile material 22 is in the open-width form, the rectangular cross-sectional feeding chamber shown in FIG. 9 is used as the feeding means.

In FIGS. and 11, another embodiment for controlling the condition of the liquid stream in the passage 13 is shown. The principal construction of the apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is almost the same as the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, with the exception for the recycling method of the treating liquid. In the drawings, the main recycling means comprises a suction means 48, conduit 51, stop valve 50, conduits 51, 62, 63, pump 20, heat exchanger 19, feeding conduit 18, stop valve 21 and conduit 18' connected with the passage 13 as shown in the drawings. The suction means 48 comprises a circular chamber that rings the outside wall of the U-shaped passage, and an inside wall formed with a plurality of apertures for withdrawing the liquid therefrom. A side connected means 46 is disposed at the outside of the passage immediately below the cylindrical channel member 24, a suction conduit 52 is connected with the conduit 62 by way of a stop valve 53 and a conduit 52, and a feeding means 47 is mounted on the inner wall, FIG. 10, of the passage 13 on the right leg thereof and the other feeding means 49 is mounted on the inner Wall of the passage but at the bottom center portion of the tank as shown in FIG. 10. The feeding means 47 is fluidly connected with the conduit 18 through branch conduits 18" and 55, stop valve 56 and a conduit 57, while the feeding means 49 is connected with the feeding conduit 18 through the branch conduit 18", a stop valve 58 and a conduit 59. A suction means 49' is further mounted on the tank 1 at the opposite side of the feeding conduit 49, and is connected with the conduit 62 through a conduit 60, a stop valve 61 and a conduit 60, and a discharging conduit 45 is connected tlirough a valve 44 and a conduit 43 to the conduit 60. The directions of the streams of the liquid are shown the appropriate arrows in FIG. 11.

As is clearly shown in FIG. 11, the textile material 22 is bombarded continuously with the treating liquid as it passes the spaced positions of the feeding means 47 and 49 and suction means 46, 48, 49' on the passage 13, re-

spectively. Consequently, the carrying speed of the textile material can be controlled, thereby undesirable contact of the textile material with the passage 13 can be prevented and suflicient action of the treating liquid on the textile material can be obtained.

In FIG. 12, another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention is shown. The principal construction of the apparatus shown in FIG. 12 is almost the same as the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 with the exception that a pair of control rollers is disposed immediately below the cylindrical channel member 24. In the embodiments of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 7 and 10, the carrying speed of the textile material 22 within the passage is dependent upon the speed of the fluid stream of the treating liquid. However, by attaching the above-mentioned pair of rollers 65, 65, the speed of the textile material can be positively controlled when it is desired to restrict the speed. Rollers having smooth surfaces, or grooved surfaces can be used for the above-mentioned purpose for controlling the carrying speed of the textile material in the passage 13.

The embodiments of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 are modifications of the apparatus shown in FIG. 12, in which a substantially U-shaped passage (FIG. 13) and a circular passage (FIG. 14) are used for the apparatus of the invention. Generally, it is also preferable to maintain the treating liquid in the tank at a constant level while treating the textile material in the passage thereof. The apparatus shown in FIG. 15 is provided with an automatic control means for maintaining a constant level of the treating liquid during the treating operation. When the level of the liquid becomes higher than the rotating roller 15, the slip between the roller 15 and the textile material 70 increases so that it is difiicult to take up the textile material 70 by the action of the roller 15, which on the other hand, if the level of the liquid becomes much lower than the roller 15, the tension of the textile material caused by the take up motion of the roller increases to an undesirable degree. In both cases, smooth operation of the liquid treatment is prevented. It is the object of the control means to prevent the above mentioned trouble caused by a large variation in the level of treating liquid in the bath. In the embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIG. 15, this is provided with a U- or J-shaped passage and an inner chamber 71 formed by the inside wall 13b of the passage 13. At the bottom portion of the inside wall 13b, a plurality of apertures 67 are disposed so as to connect the inside chamber 71 with the passage 13. A compressor 68 is connected with the inside chamber 71 by a conduit 72 and is actuated by a means 69 for detecting the level of the treating liquid in the tank 1, disposed in the header 14 as shown in FIG.-

15. Any type of detecting means for detecting the level of liquid can be used for the purpose of the present invention. The pressure in the chamber 71 is always controlled by the compressor 68. When the detecting means 69 detects a high level of the treating liquid in the bath, the valve 72 of the conduit 72 is opened so as to de crease the pressure in the chamber 71, whereupon the liquid contained in the tank 1 is fed into the chamber 71 through the aperture 67 till the detecting means detects the predetermined desired level of the liquid. On the other hand, when the detecting means 69 detects a low level of the treating liquid, the compressor 68 is driven and compressed air is introduced into the chamber 71 so as to increase the chamber pressure, consequently, the treating liquid contained in the chamber 71 is fed into the passage 13 through the aperture 67 when the balance of the liquid pressure in the chamber 71 and the vbath 13 is broken, and the feeding of the reserve liquid in the chamber 71 into the tank 1 is stopped When the detecting means detects the predetermined desired level of the liquid and stops the feeding of compressed air by the compressor 68.

As mentioned above, by using the level control means 68, a uniform level of the treating liquid can be obtained, consequently, uniform treatment of the textile material by the apparatus can be obtained.

Further, by using the above-mentioned apparatus, shown in FIG. 15, suflicient control of the level of the treating liquid is obtained for treating the textile material with a uniform amount of liquid regardless of the amount of textile material introduced into the tank. That is, when a larger mass of the textile material is brought into the tank a larger quantity of the treating liquid in the bath is necessary. However, the key point is to control the level of the treating liquid in the bath is necessary. However, the key point is to control the level of the treating liquid in the tank. In other words, the top portion of the rotating roller 15 should be maintained near the level of the liquid to obtain uniform treatment without producing wrinkles on the textile material. In such a case, the excess liquid above the desired liquid level can be reserved in the inner chamber 71. Consequently, even when textile material having a larger mass is treated, it is easy to obtain an excellent and uniform liquid treatment by using the apparatus shown in FIG. 15.

Further, it is well-known that a thicker inside wall of the passage 13 is required for obtaining sufiicient strength of the construction when a passage having a rectangular cross-section is used. However, according to the present invention, a passage having normal thickness such as that of the passage having a circular cross-section can be used for applying means for controlling the pressure of the medium contained in a space defined by an inside Wall of said U- or J-shaped passage. The principal theory of our invention is based upon the balancing forces compressing the inside wall from the inside and the outside. For example, the cross-section of the passage 13 in FIG. 15 is rectangular and water is contained in a closed chamber defined by the inside wall 13b and the apertures 67 formed at the bottom portion of the inside wall 13b as shown in FIG. 16, a compressor 68 is disposed at the outside of the apparatus and connected with the closed room by a connecting conduit 72. When the air pressure in the closed chamber is maintained above that of the air pressure in the header 14, it is not necessary to use the thicker inside wall 13b as mentioned above. Consequently, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced by saving on the cost of the material used in the construction of the tank. Furthermore, the Water as a medium of the above-mentioned art can be omitted and air may be utilized as a medium of the above-mentioned controlling means.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, only cases of wet treatment of the textile materials in endless form are described. However, modified apparatus comprising almost the same construction as described above but provided with a plurality of passages for textile material arranged laterally along the driving shaft of the rotating roller, can be used for treating non-endless textile material continuously. In the above case, the textile material is treated by the first passage through the tank and then taken-up by the rotating roller, introduced to the second passage of the tank and then taken-up by the rotating roller and introduced to the third passage of the tank, etc. Textile material suitable for the apparatus of the invention is not restricted as is the case of certain other constructions of the prior art, but any types of textile materials such as bundles of yarn, woven cloth, knitted cloth, etc. can be treated effectively by the apparatus of the present invention. Consequently, the apparatus of the present invention does not restrict the shape of the cross section of the tank to that of one but includes such other shapes as rectangular or any other suitable shape.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for treating textile material with a liquid comprising a tank having a pair of connecting legs forming a passage through which the textile material is drawn, a header closely connected with the upper ends of the legs of said tank, means for recycling a portion of treating liquid contained in said tank from one end portion of said tank to the other end portion of said tank, a pumping means and heating means disposed in the passage of said recycling means, a rotatable roller disposed in said header, means for generating a jet stream of said treating liquid along the passage of said textile material at the position where said withdrawn liquid is recycled into said tank, said means for generating a jet stream of treating liquid comprising a guide angling downwardly and disposed along the passage of said textile material in said tank, and a cylindrical channel member having a substantially parabolic cross section and disposed immediately below said guide with a small intervening space between said channel member and said guide and a jet stream supplying conduit fluidly connected with said intervening space.

2. An apparatus for treating textile material with a liquid, according to claim 1 including controlling means for controlling the speed of said textile material carried by said jet stream of treating liquid, said controlling means comprising a pair of spaced parallel control rollers disposed beneath said cylindrical channel member, said rollers being positively driven in rotation so that the direction of the portion of the rollers in contact with said textile material is in the direction of movement of the textile material.

3. An apparatus for treating textile material with a liquid comprising a tank having a pair of connecting legs forming a passage through which the textile material is drawn, a header closely connected with the upper ends of the legs of said tank, means for recycling a portion of treating liquid contained in said tank from one end portion of said tank to the other end portion of said tank, a pumping means and heating means disposed in the pas sage of said recycling means, a rotatable roller disposed in said header, a control means for controlling the level of said treating liquid in said tank, said control means comprising a detecting means for detecting the level of the treating liquid in said tank, a reserve chamber for reserving an excess of the treating liquid, a compressor means for controlling the pressure of said treating liquid reserved in said reserve chamber in response to said detecting means, said reserve chamber formed between the inside Walls of said tank, and said reserve chamber and said tank being fluidly connected by a plurality of apertures disposed in the bottom portion of an inside wall of said tank.

4. An improved apparatus for treating textile material with a liquid, comprising a tank having a substantially U or I shape, means for recycling a portion of treating liquid contained in said tank from one end portion of said tank to the other end portion of said tank, a pumping means and heatingmeans disposed in the passage of said recycling means, a rotatable roller disposed at an upper portion of the tank between both end portions of said tank, means for controlling the pressure of the fluid contained in a space defined by an inside wall of said tank, said means for controlling the pressure of the fluid comprising a compressor and connecting means for transmitting the compressed air generated by said compressor to the space defined by the inside wall of said tank, whereby the pressure of said fluid can be maintained above the liquid pressure in said tank.

5. A method of treating a length of textile material by running the textile material through a tank having a substantially U-shaped passage and including treating liquid therein including the steps of:

feeding a tream of the treating liquid into a first feeding point at an upper section of a first one of the legs of the passage beneath the level of the treating liquid in the same direction as the direction of movement of the textile material, the stream of treating liquid forming a curtain of liquid that surrounds and contacts the textile material as it is drawn through the passage;

withdrawing a portion of the treating liquid from a first withdrawing point at an upper section of the second one of the two legs of the passage; recycling the withdrawn treating liquid and feeding it into the first one of the two legs of the passage; and driving the textile material through the passage from the first leg thereof to and through the second leg thereof.

6. A method of treating a length of textile material as set forth in claim including the step of applying a force to a portion of the textile material passing between the first feeding point and the first withdrawing point to adjust the speed of the textile material.

7. A method of treating a length of textile material a set forth in claim 6 including the step of adjusting the speed of the textile material by withdrawing a portion of the treating liquid from a second withdrawing point in the tank.

8. A method of treating a length of textile material as set forth in claim 6 including the step of adjusting the speed of the textile material by feeding a portion of withdrawn treating liquid into the tank at a second feeding point in the tank.

9. A method of treating a length of textile material as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of applying a force to the textile material to adjust the speed of the textile material includes driving the textile material with mechanical driving elements.

10. A method of treating a length of textile material as set forth in claim 6 including the tep of directing a bombarding stream of treating liquid withdrawn from the tank into the first one of the legs of the passage between the level of the treating liquid in the first leg and the first feeding point, the bombarding stream of treating liquid being directed into the first leg at right angles to the direction of movement of the textile material, the bombarding stream of treating liquid being directed uniformly around and against the passing textile material.

11. In an apparatus for treating a length of textile material, the combination comprising: a tank containing a treating liquid and having a passage including a first leg and a second leg fluidly connected to the first leg, each of said legs having an upper and a lower section; means for driving the textile material through the passage from the first through the second leg; and means for directing a jet stream of liquid through an opening at a first feeding area in the upper section of the second leg beneath the level of the treating liquid in the second leg downwardly towards the lower section of the second leg and into contact with the textile material moving in substantially the opposite direction to the direction of the jet stream of liquid, said means for directing a jet stream of liquid including a downwardly extending guide positioned within the upper section of the second leg beneath the level of the treating liquid in the second leg and a cylindrical channel member parabolic in cross-section positioned beneath and spaced from said downwardly extending guide, and withdrawing means for withdrawing a portion of the treating liquid from a first withdrawing area in the upper section of the first leg to form the jet stream of liquid directed downwardly towards the lower section of the second leg.

12. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including means positioned between said first withdrawing area and said first feeding area for adjusting the speed of the textile material as it moves through the passage.

13. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said speed adjusting mean includes a pair of spaced parallel rollers that drive the textile material and between which the textile material is engaged as it passes between the rollers, the rollers being driven in a direction such that the surfaces that engage the textile material move in substantially the direction of movement of the textile material.

14. In an apparatu as set forth in claim 12 wherein said speed adjusting means includes means for withdrawing a portion of the treating liquid from a second withdrawing area of the passage.

15. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said speed adjusting means includes mean for feeding a portion of treating liquid withdrawn from the passage into a second feeding area in said passage.

16. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 14. wherein said means for withdrawing a portion of the treating fluid from a second withdrawing area of the passage includes a chamber contiguous with and surrounding the second withdrawing area and fluidly connected to the passage through a plurality of apertures therein.

17. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said means for feeding a portion of the treating liquid withdrawn from the passage into a second feeding area of the passage include a chamber contiguous with and surrounding the second feeding area and fluidly connected thereto by a plurality of apertures in the wall of the passage.

18. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 15 including means for feeding treating liquid withdrawn from the passage into a third feeding area in a section of said first leg between the level of the liquid in said first leg and said feeding area.

19. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said means for feeding treating liquid into a third feeding area in said passage includes a chamber contiguous with and surrounding the third feeding area and a plurality of apertures therein fluidly connecting the chamber and the passage, the apertures being arranged to direct the treat ing liquid into the passage at right angles to the textile material drawn through the passage and into contact with the passing textile material.

20. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said passage gradually increases in cross-sectional area from the first leg to the upper section of the second leg.

21. An apparatus for treating a length of textile material, the combination comprising; a tank containing a treating liquid and having a passage including a first leg and a second leg fluidly connected to the first leg, each of said legs having an upper and a lower section; means for driving the textile material through the passage from the first through the second leg; means for directing a jet stream of liquid through an opening at a first feeding area in the upper section of the second leg beneath the level of the treating liquid in the second leg downwardly towards the lower section of the second leg and into contact with the textile material moving in substantially the opposite direction to the direction of the jet stream of liqtreating liquid from a first withdrawing area in the upper section of the first leg to form the jet stream of liquid directed downwardly towards the lower section of the second leg, said withdrawing means including a chamber positioned adjacent the upper section of the first leg and fiuidly connected thereto by a plurality of apertures therein.

22. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said chamber surrounds a portion of said upper section of the first leg.

23. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 21 including means for controlling the level of the treating liquid within the tank, said last named means including means for detecting the level of the treating liquid in the tank, a liquid reserve chamber fluidly connected to said passage, means for adjusting the pressure in said reserve chamber in response to the detecting means.

24. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 23 wherein said means for adjusting the pressure in the reserve chamber includes a compressor and means for fluidly connecting said compressor to said reserve chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,231,908 2/1966 Kelen et a1 68177 X 3,280,602 10/1966 Schiffer 68178 X 3,152,464 10/1964 Faraguna 68179 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,379,140 10/1964 France.

864,092 3 1961 Great Britain.

' WILLIAM 1. PRICE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

